Educational Payload Operations-International Toys in Space (EPO-International Toys in Space)
Research Area: Educational Demonstrations
Expedition(s): 5
Principal Investigator(s): ● Jonathan Neubauer NASA’s Johnson Space
Center, Houston, Texas
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Education Payload Operations-International Toys in Space (EPO-International Toys in Space)
includes curriculum-based educational activities that demonstrate basic principles physics by
studying how common everyday items (toys and games) act in a microgravity environment.
These activities are videotaped and then used in classroom lectures. EPO-International Toys in
Space is designed to support the NASA mission to inspire the next generation of explorers.
EARTH BENEFITS
EPO-International Toys in Space is part of
NASA's continuing effort to use space as a
unique educational tool for K-12 students.
Everyday items, such as toys, are given a
new twist by combining them with the
allure of spaceflight and the unusual
weightless environment to produce
educational materials that inspire interest
in science and technology and encourage
curiosity and creativity.SPACE BENEFITS
EPO-International Toys in Space introduces
the next generation of explorers to the
environment of space.RESULTS
EPO-International Toys in Space is a successful education program on the International Space
Station (ISS). By using simple objects and the microgravity environment, NASA is able to
produce videos that demonstrate physical properties, such as force, motion, and energy, which
might be obscured by gravity on Earth. To date, over 500 videos, DVDs, and video clips have
been produced and distributed to science teachers and schools throughout the United States.
About 1 500 teachers each year are trained to use the materials in their classrooms. An
additional 30.9 million students have had the opportunity to participate in live downlink events
where their classmates pose questions of ISS crews in orbit.
Astronauts tested toys in space to help students learn about
the laws of science. NASA image.